BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

Retrospective

Everything 13-year-old Julia Glovack of Perrysburg touches turns to gold. Or so it seems that way. The seventh grader at Gowanda Central School is an honor student, an accomplished pianist and a championship figure skater in both pairs and singles. She and her pairs partner, Patrick McCarthy of Erie, Pa., recently competed for the novice pairs title at the 1997 United States National Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tenn. In April, Julia will compete in the 1997 Junior Olympics in juvenile ladies freestyle as the North Atlantic champ — a title she secured from a field of over 99 skaters. It is considered highly unusual and quite an accomplishment to make it to nationals in both events.

Thirty years ago — 1987

“I’d love to have this building in Florida, it’d be worth $1 million.” The building referred to is the former Koch’s Brewery in Dunkirk and the speaker is Fred Foit, the new owner of the facility. Mr. Foit explained he originally bought the brewery with the intention of using part of it to set up a wine cooler bottling line. However, he has scrapped those plans and is now looking for people who would like to use parts of the complex to start up new businesses. He told the OBSERVER recently that the large amount of production, office and storage space, as well as the many loading docks, open up many possibilities. He added he was willing to consider anyone’s ideas and might be able to help with the financing of new ventures.

Forty years ago — 1977

M. Wile and Co. currently has 325 full-time employees, mostly women, at its Dunkirk plant. “We expect to stay in Dunkirk and hope to expand,” Lawrence Gunzberg, company president, said. M. Wile manufactures trousers and vests at its Dunkirk plant, which has 37,000 square feet of space. This is the 100th anniversary for M. Wile and Co., which was formed in 1877 by Mayer Wile, a German immigrant.

Fifty years ago — 1967

John LaValle of 42 North Chapel St., Gowanda, held onto his lead to win first place in the WDOE “Beat the Champ” roll-offs at Lucky Lanes. Bowling twice a week, he carries averages of 185 and 190. Mr. LaValle will travel to Buffalo for his TV appearance on March 11.